Internet Subscribers

Overview: Internet Subscribers

By creating Internet Subscriber accounts, you enable Cisco Unity subscribers to send voice messages to recipients whose computers are connected to the Internet. Messages are sent over the Internet (or any TCP/IP network) via the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The recipient receives a voice message as an e-mail with a WAV attachment.

If Cisco Unity is connected to a networked phone system, calls can be transferred from the auto attendant or the Cisco Unity directory assistance to the phone of the Internet Subscriber. (With a networked phone system, subscribers dial an extension without having to dial a trunk access code or prefix when calling someone who is at another location on the phone network.)

In this chapter, you will find procedures for creating Internet Subscribers, followed by detailed discussions of the concepts and terminology you need to understand. See the following sections:

3. Create Internet Subscriber accounts on the local Cisco Unity server for each remote message recipient, as needed. When multiple Cisco Unity servers are networked together, you can create Internet Subscribers on one Cisco Unity server, allowing subscribers, no matter which Cisco Unity server they are on, to address messages to the Internet Subscribers. See the "Creating Internet Subscriber Accounts" section for details.

Procedures for Setting Up Internet Subscribers

This section contains all of the procedures necessary to set up Cisco Unity for use with Internet Subscribers.

Customizing the Primary Location

Even if you only have one Cisco Unity server, it is good practice to customize the primary location.

•If the location does belong to a dialing domain, enter the Dialing Domain name only on one Cisco Unity server that is in the dialing domain, and wait for the name to replicate to the other Cisco Unity servers.

Note When setting up the primary location of the other Cisco Unity servers that are members of the dialing domain, select the Dialing Domain name from the list instead of entering a name.

The time that it takes for the primary location data from other Cisco Unity servers to be reflected on the local server depends on your network configuration and replication schedule.

Step 6 Click the Save icon.

Setting Search Options

In installations with multiple Cisco Unity servers networked together, set the addressing search options on all Cisco Unity servers.

To set search options

Step 1 In the Cisco Unity Administrator, go to the Network > Primary Location > Addressing Options page and set the addressing options as needed.

•To allow subscribers created on the local Cisco Unity server to address messages to subscribers on other Cisco Unity servers (that access the same directory), select Dialing Domain or Global Directory, as appropriate.

Step 2 If you want locations included in address searches, check Include Locations in Searches. The location name is played only when a subscriber enters the location dial ID when addressing a message.

Step 3 Go to the Call Management > Directory Handlers > Search Options page, and modify the search options for an existing directory handler, or create a new directory handler for unidentified callers who use directory assistance.

To allow subscribers on other Cisco Unity servers to be located in directory assistance, select Dialing Domain. (The Cisco Unity servers must be in the same dialing domain as the local Cisco Unity server.)

Creating Internet Subscriber Accounts

You can create Internet Subscriber accounts by using the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard or the Cisco Unity Administrator. See the following sections:

Before Creating Subscriber Accounts

This section lists—in order—the issues that you must consider before creating subscriber accounts.

1. Cisco Unity Configuration and Permissions

If you are unsure whether the account that you are using has sufficient rights and permissions to create subscribers, or whether Cisco Unity is properly configured to work with your message store, use the following procedure to run the SysCheck diagnostic tool.

To check Cisco Unity setup and permissions by using the Cisco Unity SysCheck tool

A class of service (COS) defines limits and permissions for subscribers who use Cisco Unity. For example, a COS dictates the maximum length of subscriber messages and greetings. Although most COS settings are not applicable to Internet Subscribers, they still must be members of a COS. In the Cisco Unity Administrator, a COS is specified in each subscriber template; thus, a subscriber is assigned to the COS that is specified in the template upon which the subscriber account is based. Cisco Unity includes predefined classes of service, which you can modify. You can also create new classes of service. For details, refer to the "Class of Service Settings" chapter in the Cisco Unity System Administration Guide.

3. Restriction tables

Each COS specifies a restriction table for call transfers, one for message notification, and one for fax deliveries. Cisco Unity applies the restriction table associated with the COS of a subscriber, and displays an error message if the phone number is not allowed. Cisco Unity comes with predefined restriction tables, which you can modify.

Although most restriction table settings do not apply to Internet Subscribers because they cannot log on to Cisco Unity or use the Cisco Personal Communications Assistant (PCA), administrators can enter call transfer numbers for Internet Subscribers. For security purposes, you should modify the restriction table used for transfers in the COS to which Internet Subscribers belong, as necessary. For details, refer to the "Restriction Tables" chapter in the Cisco Unity System Administration Guide.

4. Public distribution lists

Public distribution lists are used to send voice messages to multiple subscribers at the same time. Cisco Unity assigns new subscribers to the public distribution lists that are specified in the template on which the subscriber account is based. For details, refer to the "Public Distribution List Settings" chapter in the Cisco Unity System Administration Guide.

5. Subscriber templates

In the Cisco Unity Administrator, you can specify settings for a group of subscribers by using a subscriber template. Subscriber templates contain settings that are appropriate for subscribers of a particular type, such as a department. The settings from the template you choose are applied to subscriber accounts as the accounts are created. Cisco Unity comes with a default subscriber template, which you can modify, and you can create an unlimited number of additional templates.

For more details, refer to the "Subscriber Template Settings" chapter in the Cisco Unity System Administration Guide.

6. Domino Address Books

If you use the Cisco Unity Administrator to create a subscriber account, confirm that the address book(s) listed on the System > Configuration > Subscriber Address Books page in the Cisco Unity Administrator contain the user data that you want to import when you create the subscriber account. If necessary, you can add another address book to System > Configuration > Subscriber Address Books page. Refer to the "Subscriber Address Book Settings" section in the "System Settings" chapter for details.

The Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard allows you to create multiple subscriber accounts at once by importing user data contained in a comma-separated value (CSV) file. CSV is a common text file format for moving data from one data store to another.

Use the following procedure to prepare your CSV file. To learn more about preparing a CSV file for use with the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard—including information on the required and optional column headers for your CSV file—refer to the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard online Help.

To prepare a CSV file for creating Internet Subscriber accounts

Step 1 Save the data which you will use to create Cisco Unity accounts as a CSV file.

As a best practice, do not include more than 7,500 records in a single CSV file, as you may encounter unexpected results when the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard imports the data.

Step 2 Copy the CSV file to the Cisco Unity server or to a folder that you can browse to from the server.

Step 3 Open the CSV file in a spreadsheet application or another application with which you can edit and reorganize the data. Do the following:

•Confirm that the data is separated by commas, and no tabs, spaces, or semicolons separate the data in the file.

•If any data includes a space, quotes, or commas, contain it within quotes.

Step 4 Rearrange the data, so that the columns are in the same order as the column headers that you will add in Step 5. The order of the column headers does not matter, though it is good practice to set up your CSV file as indicated here.

For example, the columns of data in this sample are sorted so that the last name of the user is followed by the first name, and then by the remote address :

Step 6 If desired, add optional column headers to the first row, and the corresponding data that you want to import in the subsequent rows below. As you do so, confirm that:

•Column headers and data are separated by commas. Note that each row does not have to contain data for each optional column header.

•Any data that includes a space, quotes, or commas is contained within quotes.

Step 7 If your CSV file contains columns of data that you do not want to import, delete the columns. Alternatively, you can title one column NOTES. The Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard ignores data beneath any NOTES column header, but the wizard does not support more than one NOTES column in a CSV file.

Step 8 Confirm that each row contains the appropriate data corresponding to each column header.

Correcting CSV Import Errors

The error log file contains data that the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard could not import. The wizard reports the first error it detects in any row in a CSV file. Once you correct that error, the wizard may detect additional errors in the same row when the data is imported again. Thus, you may need to repeat the correction process—running the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard and correcting an error—several times to find and correct all errors.

The output log file contains all the records that were not imported. You can save it as a CSV file, and use it when you run the Cisco Unity Bulk Import wizard again. Note that each time that you run the wizard, the error and output log files are overwritten (unless you specify new names for the files).

Step 5 In the Find Domino Person By list, indicate whether to search by short name, first name, or last name.

Step 6 Enter the appropriate name or short name. You also can enter * to display a list of all users, or enter one or more characters followed by * to narrow your search.

Note When you perform wildcard (*) searches, Cisco Unity may take several minutes to display results in the Cisco Unity Administrator. This is particularly true if your site has a large number of users (approximately 1000 or more) and/or dozens of servers. For this reason, it is important that you narrow the scope of wildcard searches.

Step 7 Click Find.

Step 8 On the list of matches, click the name of the user to import.

Step 9 Enter the appropriate information on the Add Subscriber page.

Step 10 Click Add.

Step 11 On the subscriber record, customize settings as appropriate, and then click the Save icon.

After Creating Subscriber Accounts

After creating Internet Subscriber accounts, consider the following:

•It takes a few minutes for a newly-created subscriber to be available to receive messages.

Internet Subscriber Concepts and Definitions

Internet Subscribers are Cisco Unity subscribers who do not have mailboxes on the Domino network. Instead, messages for Internet Subscribers are sent to an e-mail address that you specify when you create the Internet Subscriber account. The recipient receives voice messages as e-mails with attached WAV files.

In Domino, Internet Subscribers are represented as person documents without a mailbox. You create and manage Internet Subscriber accounts in much the same way that you do regular subscriber accounts. For example, a subscriber template is used when the Internet Subscriber accounts are created, and you can adjust the call transfer settings for Internet Subscriber accounts as needed.

Extensions are optional for Internet Subscribers whereas they are mandatory for regular subscribers. If an Internet Subscriber has not been assigned an extension, then subscribers can address messages to that Internet Subscriber only in spelled-name mode.

If you have specified extensions for the Internet Subscribers, both unidentified callers and subscribers can dial the extension for the Internet Subscriber, listen to the greeting of the Internet Subscriber, and then leave a message. If Cisco Unity is integrated with a networked phone system, outside callers can be transferred to the extension of the Internet Subscriber.

Other than receiving messages (and possibly calls), Internet Subscribers do not have access to other Cisco Unity features, and some sections of the Cisco Unity Administrator are disabled for Internet Subscribers. Internet Subscribers:

•Cannot log on to Cisco Unity by phone to check or send messages.

•Cannot log on to Cisco Unity by phone—or use the Cisco Unity Assistant—to adjust personal settings, so their recorded names and greetings can only be recorded or changed in the Cisco Unity Administrator. (Note that in version 3.1 and earlier, the Cisco Unity Assistant was known as the ActiveAssistant, or AA).

•Cannot use the Cisco Unity Inbox to check messages. (Note that in version 3.1 and earlier, the Cisco Unity Inbox was known as the Visual Messaging Interface or VMI).

•Cannot own private lists.

•Cannot set up or receive message notifications.

•Cannot receive message waiting indications.

Subscriber Experience with Internet Subscribers

Provided that Internet Subscribers have extensions, are listed in the phone directory, and have had voice names and greetings recorded for them:

•Subscribers can address messages to Internet Subscribers by using the phone or IBM Lotus Notes Inbox.

•When using the phone, subscribers can address messages to Internet Subscribers by spelled-name mode (if enabled on the system) or by extension.

•Subscribers get voice name confirmation when addressing a message to an Internet Subscriber.

•Internet Subscribers can be added to distribution lists.

•Both unidentified callers and subscribers can place a call to an Internet Subscriber and leave a message. If Cisco Unity is integrated with a networked phone system, calls from both unidentified callers and subscribers can be transferred to the extension of the Internet Subscriber. (With a networked phone system, subscribers dial an extension without having to dial a trunk access code or prefix when calling someone who is at another location on the phone network.)

Extensions are optional for Internet Subscribers whereas they are mandatory for regular subscribers. If an Internet Subscriber has not been assigned an extension:

•The Internet Subscriber cannot be listed in the phone directory.

•Unidentified callers will be unable to leave messages for the Internet Subscriber.

•When addressing messages to the Internet Subscriber, subscribers are limited to spelled-name mode, provided that the Internet Subscriber has a recorded voice name. Without an extension and a voice name, messages cannot be addressed to Internet Subscribers.